Top 10 British films ranked

LONDON, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- The Oscar-winning epic "Lawrence of Arabia" has been named the best British film of all time by a poll of 230 actors, technicians, writers and directors.

The poll, conducted by the Sunday Telegraph, named director David Lean as Best Director and four of his films were named in the top 10 best British films: "Brief Encounter," was ranked No. 2, with "Great Expectations," ranked fourth, and "The Bridge On The River Kwai," tied for seventh place.

The 1949 thriller, "The Third Man," placed third place ahead of "The Ladykillers," "Kind Hearts and Coronets," "The Thirty-Nine Steps," "A Matter of Life and Death" and "Four Weddings and A Funeral."

Alfred Hitchcock was named the most influential Briton in film, while Alec Guinness was named the most influential British actor in world cinema and Judi Dench was named favorite actress in Britain.

"Carry On Columbus," released in 1992, was chosen as the worst British film.

United Press International is a leading provider of news, photos and information to millions of readers around the globe via UPI.com and its licensing services.

With a history of reliable reporting dating back to 1907, today’s UPI is a credible source for the most important stories of the day, continually updated - a one-stop site for U.S. and world news, as well as entertainment, trends, science, health and stunning photography. UPI also provides insightful reports on key topics of geopolitical importance, including energy and security.

A Spanish version of the site reaches millions of readers in Latin America and beyond.

UPI was founded in 1907 by E.W. Scripps as the United Press (UP). It became known as UPI when after a merger with the International News Service in 1958, which was founded in 1909 by William Randolph Hearst. Today, UPI is owned by News World Communications.